Chapter 7 She Asked a Bad Question

He gestured something.

Aiden glanced at him and said, "The apples outside are ripe. If you want to eat them, go pick them yourself."

The black shadow angrily wrote a few words in the air.

But Aiden just lowered his head and began to pretend to read the documents.

Shadow: ...

He made a rebellious move, jumped up and tried to attack the emperor from behind.

As expected, the next second Aiden grabbed his hand and pressed it on the desk.

Aiden narrowed his eyes and said condescendingly, "Save your energy. You don't need to worry about it."

His voice lowered even more, and it was unclear whether he was speaking to the shadow or to himself.

"Anyway...our ending is predetermined."

**

The light from the garbage planet is gray, with a lingering smell of metallic rust.

Grandma Kane was putting an old, thick coat that had been washed many times but was relatively clean on An Zhi.

The coat was so big that little An Zhi was wrapped up like a ball, with the hem almost dragging on the ground.

"Be good, baby, put your hands out." Grandma Kane patiently rolled up her sleeves several times, revealing a little bit of her red fingertips from the cold.

An Zhi stood obediently, letting her grandmother play with her. She still held the little mushroom tightly in her arms, which calmed her anxiety about going out to a strange place.

Old Kane stood aside, frowning and rubbing his hands, looking troubled. He had changed into a relatively clean work suit and was clutching a small cloth bag.

"Old lady..." Old Kane lowered his voice, filled with worry. "The old cripple on the east side has a lot of people around. This mushroom is too eye-catching! Can we let Zizi keep it at home for now?"

Grandma Kane paused and looked at the little mushroom.

Before she could say anything, An Zhi understood what Old Kane meant and immediately hugged the little mushroom tighter. His big, round eyes were instantly covered with a layer of mist and his mouth flattened. He looked at Old Kane pitifully like a little animal whose most beloved toy was taken away, but he still held up the mushroom.

The little mushroom seemed to sense the little master's uneasiness and resistance, and An Zhi pulled her upwards, and the whole mushroom was stretched into a long strip.

Old Kane's heart was so soft. Looking at the big eyes of the cub filled with tears, and then looking at the little mushroom who was also "wronged", how could he still have a hard heart?

He sighed, squatted down, and gently touched An Zhi's soft head: "Okay, okay, I won't abandon you, I won't abandon the little mushroom. Grandpa was wrong."

But how do I take it out?

Holding it in my arms, the pure white color looks like a firefly in the dark night on the gray streets of the garbage planet.

Grandma Kane frowned and her eyes moved back and forth over An Zhi's oversized old coat.

Her eyes lit up, and she reached out to pull up the large, deep hood on the back of her coat and put it over An Zhi's little head.

The hat was so big that it covered An Zhi's entire little head, leaving only half of his face exposed.

"Come here, baby," Grandma Kane gently picked up the little mushroom from An Zhi's arms, "Put the mushroom here." She motioned An Zhi to lower his head.

An Zhi did as he was told and lowered his head slightly. Then he felt a warmth on his head and the mushroom blanket was placed firmly on top of his head, right in the center of the hood.

The little mushroom is very light, like a small warm cloud falling on your head.

An Zhi felt a familiar sense of warmth and peace coming from above his head. He was no longer afraid and blinked his eyes curiously.

"Okay, just hold your head like this and don't move." Grandma Kane helped An Zhi pull the edge of the hood down again and adjusted it carefully.

The wide hood was tightly covered, forming a small, hidden space, completely hiding the little mushroom on An Zhi's head. From the outside, one could only see An Zhi's small figure wrapped in a wide coat and a bulging big hat, and could not see what was hidden inside.

Old Kane's eyes lit up. This was a good idea. As long as the baby didn't move around and didn't lift her hat, no one would be able to see the secret on her head.

An Zhi understood, and she immediately hugged her head to make sure the hat would not fall off. She could still feel the texture of the mushrooms on her head through the fabric.

She said "hmm" in relief, and a smile appeared on her little face.

Grandma Kane carefully checked again, making sure that no mushrooms could be seen from any angle. She breathed a sigh of relief, but still reminded him worriedly:

"Old man, be careful on the road. Don't let the kid run around. Hold on tight to your hat. Come back quickly after you finish your business."

"Goodbye, grandma." An Zhi raised his little face and said softly to Grandma Kane.

"Hey, baby, be good and go with grandpa. Come back early." Grandma Kane looked at the old and the child, especially the bulging hat on An Zhi's head, and felt worried and expectant at the same time.

Old Kane took An Zhi's hand, lifted the tattered linen curtain, and walked into the gray early morning streets of the slums on Garbage Star.

**

The repair shop is more of a shack built with abandoned containers and scrap metal sheets than a shop.

A crooked, illegible metal plaque hung on the door, with the words "Old Cripple Repairs" scrawled on it in spray paint.

The shed was dimly lit and filled with various unnamed mechanical wreckage, exposed cables and flickering small light screens.

An Zhi saw an old man with sparse gray hair, wearing overalls that were almost scabby with oil stains, and one leg with a simple metal prosthesis. He was holding a cigarette, squinting his eyes, and using a welding gun to repair a twisted metal plate with a hissing sound.

Old Kane held An Zhi's hand, holding his head, and carefully walked around the debris on the ground to the workbench.

He glanced at a young man in a torn jacket in the corner who was fiddling with a broken communicator.

"Cripple, are you busy?" Old Kane lowered his voice.

The old cripple didn't even raise his head and blew out a puff of low-quality smoke:

"Old Kane? What a rare visitor.

Haven't you saved enough rags to buy food?" The welding torch in his hand sparked continuously.

Old Kane rubbed his hands and gently placed the cloth bag containing the star coins on the workbench, making a slight clinking sound.

"Not fixing things. I need you to do something."

The old cripple paused his hand movements, and finally raised his eyelids. His cloudy eyes glanced at the cloth bag, then swept across old Kane's nervous face, and finally fell on the little girl beside him who was wrapped in a loose old coat, holding her head with only half of her face and a pair of timid big eyes exposed.

He raised his sparse eyebrows and said nothing.

The welding torch went out.

The old cripple put out his cigarette, wiped his hands, and slowly turned around. His metal prosthesis made a slight "clicking" sound as he walked.

"Doing business? What can you ask me to do?"

He opened a drawer, revealing a jumble of parts and tools. He fumbled around in the depths, "Chips?"

Old Kane nodded nervously and subconsciously pulled An Zhi behind him:

"Yeah, an identity chip. It needs to be clean."

The old cripple finally pulled out a small metal instrument with a faint blue light from the depths of the drawer. It looked a bit like an old-fashioned card reader.

He skillfully connected it to a dusty light screen next to him.

Only then did he turn his attention completely to old Kane.

"Identity chip?" The old cripple sneered, "How many years have we been hanging around in this shabby place?

You, me, and those who are breathing outside, who among us is not an illegal resident?

Who wants this? This is an electronic collar that goes on a dog leash!

When you were young, you didn't have the courage to follow the younger generation and venture out into the world. Now, can you get a few more mouths of relief? Or can you leave this damn place?"

He stared at Old Kane, puzzled. "I haven't seen you even think about this in all these years. What's wrong? Half your body is buried in the garbage, and you suddenly want to be a 'reputable' person. What's the point?"

Old Kane was speechless after hearing his series of straightforward and heart-piercing questions. His face turned red and white, his lips trembled, and he didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Yeah, what’s the point?

For a picked-up, unidentified cub, he took the risk and spent all his savings to get something that he himself thought looked like a dog collar?

How should he explain it?

It is said that this kid has a magic mushroom hidden on his head?

Are you afraid that you won’t be able to get the low-quality nutritional cream from the relief station because you don’t have an identity?

The old cripple looked at his embarrassed expression, then glanced at the overly quiet little girl behind him, a hint of understanding and deeper mockery flashing in his eyes.

He was just about to make some more sarcastic remarks, or simply refuse this hot deal.

At this moment, a timid voice with a thick baby voice came out from behind Old Kane, under his wide hood:

"Grandpa, is it true that only after registering your household registration... can you go to school?"